Rancho Santa Fe Government Services

RSF Vacation Form

County of San Diego
Rancho Santa Fe Community Services District
San Dieguito Community Planning Group
Santa Fe Irrigation/Olivenhain Municipal Water District
Rancho Santa Fe School District
United States Postal Service
Rancho Santa Fe Library
Rancho Santa Fe Patrol
Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District
Evacuation and Emergency Preparedness Brochure
County of San Diego Sheriff's Department
California Highway Patrol
Paramedic Community Service Area
Legislative Access

County of San Diego
Due to its location in an unincorporated area, Rancho Santa Fe's local governmental authority is the County of San Diego. The Covenant is located in the fifth district of the County Board of Supervisors. Important services which are provided to the community by the County include law enforcement by the County Sheriff's Department and road maintenance by the Department of Public Works. The County also conducts building inspections, subdivision reviews, environmental assessments and other general planning functions which are in some cases parallel to, but always separate from, the Association's own processing of these matters.

Rancho Santa Fe Community Services District
The Rancho Santa Fe Community Services District (CSD) is a separate, locally-controlled, governmental entity established to provide a specific set of local services to an area slightly larger than the Covenant. The maintenance of County right-of-ways is one such service that is conducted in contractual cooperation with the Rancho Santa Fe Association. The CSD also provides sewer service through subarea sewer improvement districts. Much of the Covenant, however, is still not serviced by sewer. (760) 942-5147

San Dieguito Community Planning Group
The Community Planning Group is an advisory body established by the County of San Diego to advise it on planning and land use matters related to the San Dieguito planning area which includes Rancho Santa Fe. The group represents the entire contiguous unincorporated area surrounded by the cities of Solana Beach, San Diego, Escondido, Vista, San Marcos, Carlsbad, and Encinitas. The group makes its advisory recommendations on such matters as the County General Plan, Community Plan, zoning, highway and circulation plans, and specific development proposals.

Santa Fe Irrigation District/Olivenhain Municipal Water District
Rancho Santa Fe's water service is provided by the Santa Fe Irrigation District and the Olivenhain Municipal Water District. The Irrigation District serves most of the Covenant. It relies on a combination of surface runoff and water imported from Lake Hodges, three miles east of Rancho Santa Fe, as well as water imported through the Metropolitan Water District. Within the Covenant, the San Dieguito Reservoir provides storage for peak demand periods.

Rancho Santa Fe School District
The Rancho Santa Fe School District is the elementary and middle school provider for the community. It operates programs and facilities for kindergarten through eighth grade. The Covenant makes up about half of the District's service area, and 70% of the current student population. Beginning the ninth grade, students are served by the San Dieguito Union High School District, where they attend Torrey Pines High School, The Academy, La Costa Canyon High School or Canyon Crest.

United States Postal Service
Rancho Santa Fe lies within Zip Code area 92067, which extends eastward from the Covenant nearly to the city limits of Escondido. There are three Post Offices for the 92067 Zip Code. The post office for the Covenant area is located within the Rancho Santa Fe Village. It offers the full range of postal services, except home delivery. Since the Postal Service does not provide home delivery in the Covenant area, residents establish postal boxes at the office. Thus, the Post Office has become one of the key components of Rancho Santa Fe community life.

Rancho Santa Fe Library
The Ranch Library is a unique example of community and County cooperation; an example of what the best of both efforts can produce to the benefit of all.

The Library Guild provides more than half the total number of books in the library, maintains the Milliken Puppet Theater in the Martha Glasgow Children's Wing, and has two computer workstations in the Children's Library dedicated solely for children's use. These computers offer free Internet access, a choice of on-line encyclopedias, word processors, drawing programs and educational games.

This unique library also offers after-school programs including "Grandparents and Books"÷a program that has seniors read books aloud to preschoolers. Other programs include a summer reading program for children of all ages, a video tape library and "gently used" books for sale in the "Book Cellar" which is maintained and operated by dedicated volunteer members of the Guild. These volunteers make it possible to keep the Book Cellar open six days a week.

Rancho Santa Fe Patrol
Rancho Santa Fe Patrol office and dispatch are headquartered in the Fire Protection District building on El Fuego. The Patrol Chief and his officers are employees of the Rancho Santa Fe Association.

Rancho Santa Fe Patrol is an armed, private security force with a mission of service to the members of the Rancho Santa Fe Association. They supplement the efforts of local law enforcement agencies as well as provide specialized services to the membership. The Patrol's ubiquitous presence provides a visible deterrent to disturbance and crime within the community. The Patrol also offers vacation and security check services to Association members. The activation of this service can be accomplished by a call to the Patrol office during normal business hours on the business line number, 756-4372. To download and print out this Vacation Check Form click HERE. The form can be dropped off at the RSF Association office or faxed to 759-8590. Reminder: please submit it as soon as possible before you leave. Complete all fields and always include emergency information.

The Patrol consists of nine professional officers including a Chief. These professionals maintain an on-going training program similar to other law enforcement entities. Almost all of the Patrol's officers have had lengthy previous active duty with various police, sheriff and highway patrol departments. They fill shifts to provide 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week service and handle a wide variety of calls, ranging from residential alarm activations to vehicle accidents. They also maintain a Village "beat" that provides a security presence in the commercial district. The Patrol encourages Association members to report crimes and suspicious activities to them or directly to the Sheriff. This information is shared with local law enforcement agencies to provide background for criminal investigations. The Patrol works in close cooperation and coordination with the Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol to insure the membership the highest level of response and protection.

Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District
The Fire Protection District is the community's first response emergency provider, responding not only to fires but to medical emergencies with its trained paramedic staff. The District also provides emergency dispatch services for themselves, the Rancho Santa Fe Patrol, and other emergency service providers. The District conducts fire safety inspections, provides resident fire safety information services and is the local authority for building permit review pursuant to applicable fire codes. The District participates in mutual aid agreements which provide for additional backup response from neighboring cities and districts for major emergency events. View and download a 10-page Evacuation and Emergency Preparedness brochure HERE.

County of San Diego Sheriff's Department
The Sheriff's mission in the community includes all forms of law enforcement other than routine vehicle code matters. The Sheriff maintains an office in the Historical Society's La Flecha House on the corner of La Flecha and Via de Santa Fe in the Village. This office is manned on an irregular basis as the Deputies assigned to this area are often busy patrolling and responding to calls. The phone number of the Sheriff's Rancho Santa Fe office is 756-2975. The Deputies that staff the Rancho Santa Fe office are assigned by the Encinitas Sheriff's Station (760-966-3500).

California Highway Patrol
Enforcement of the California Vehicle Code within Rancho Santa Fe is primarily the responsibility of the California Highway Patrol. Many of the Covenant roads have been rated for radar speed enforcement, which the Highway Patrol implements. The Highway Patrol district office is located in Oceanside (760-757-1675). They also maintain irregular office hours at the Rancho Santa Fe Patrol's office. Like the Sheriff's Department, the Highway Patrol Officers assigned to the Rancho Santa Fe "beat" coordinate closely with the RSF Patrol to identify and act on Vehicle Code violations as well as implementing deterrence strategies on Covenant roadways. In addition, the Highway Patrol has instituted a Senior Volunteer Program (SVP) in Rancho Santa Fe which has increased the Highway Patrol's presence and response activities in the community.

Paramedic Community Service Area
Rancho Santa Fe is within a County Service Area (CSA) for paramedic support. Emergency service in equipped paramedic vehicles is provided from a staging center at the Scripps Hospital in Encinitas and, as a backup, from Solana Beach.

Legislative Access
Rancho Santa Fe Covenant lies within the bounds of the following legislative districts:

State Senate - 38th District
Mark Wyland
2755 Jefferson Street #101
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 434-7930, FAX (760) 434-8233

County Board of Supervisors - 5th District
Bill Horn
County Administration Center
1600 Pacific Highway
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 531-5555, FAX (619) 685-2662
email:bill-horn@co.san-diego.ca.us